Mac mini (Core Solo)

The Mac mini is the third Apple computer to make the jump from PowerPC to …

Design

The new Mac mini is nearly identical to its PowerPC predecessor with a few minor exceptions noticeable on the rear of the machine. The form factor remains the same and sees the addition of two USB 2.0 ports and the removal of the internal modem. One of the biggest changes to the device was the addition of both optical digital audio input and output ports. This was a big sticking point for some people who considered purchasing one of the original Mac minis.

Now that the mini has audio input/outputs on par with the PowerMac G5 (and better than the iMac which only has optical digital output), users who're looking to use the machine for a budget sound editing box or a component of their AV systems should be more apt to pony up the cash this time around. The only visual disparity on the front of the device is a small black IR receiver bezel next to the optical slot. It's nearly invisible, and I actually didn't notice it the first few times I examined the machine.

The new Mini has 4 USB 2.0 ports along with digital audio in/out

Under the hood, the Intel Mac mini is a different story. I apologize that I don't have any disassembly pictures for this review, but othersites have done the dirty work this time and discovered some interesting things. First of all is that Apple's design of the new mini makes manually upgrading the RAM in this machine a slightly more arduous task.

Instead of merely being able to pop the top off and have full access to the memory slots, you must do all of that and in addition, remove the optical drive and drive cage to add RAM. It's like the Rev. A G3 iMac all over again! Also interesting is that the Intel Core Solo/Duo processors in these machines are socketed, meaning that you could theoretically purchase the lower-end model and upgrade the CPU with faster variant as they became available. In fact, shortly after the new Intel minis hit the shelves, XtremeSystems did just that: upgrading their 1.5GHz Core Solo mini to a 2.16GHz Core Duo with after-market parts.

Full frontal minis. Note the tiny IR port to the right of the optical drive on the Core Solo mini